


Grandpa Gibbs in Charge

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: Family, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-27 03:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12572848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: Gibbs takes all of the grandchildren to his cabin for a week in the summer. Parallel story to "You Complete Me" chapters 19 and 20.





	1. Saturday and Sunday

Grandpa Gibbs in Charge

_Gibbs takes the nine grandkids to his cabin without the parents. Summer 2027_

_**Parallel story to You Complete Me, chapters 19 and 20** _

Chapter 1: Saturday and Sunday

Tali (13), Anthony (10), Elizabeth and Rivka (7), and LJ (5) DiNozzo, John and Caitlyn McGee (9), and Victoria (12) and Charles (9) Palmer filled the seats in the twelve passenger van that Gibbs had rented for the week. They were all headed to his cabin for a vacation away from the bustle of DC. Over the years, he had added bunk beds to the two additional bedrooms so that his family could use the cabin for a get-away. Each of the children had been to the cabin before, but this was the first time it was all nine together without their parents.

Gibbs had stocked the pantry and freezer with food the week before and just had to get some milk, eggs, bread, and fresh fruit before they left the little town with the nearest grocery store. He pulled into the store parking lot and explained to the kids that each would be allowed to choose a fruit that they would like and that they would take a consensus on bread and milk to buy. LJ listened carefully and then asked, "Grandpa, are we going to buy ice cream?"

"Already at the cabin, LJ." Gibbs smiled at the little boy. He led the children into the store, gathering some looks from the three women exiting the store. Gibbs had LJ by the hand and the other eight were paired: Beth and Rivka, followed by John and Katie, then Anthony and Charles, and finally Tali and Tori. Gibbs had instilled in them the use of the buddy system since they were old enough to understand.

Ten dozen eggs, six gallons of milk, eight loaves of bread and five bags of various fruits later, they were all back in the van and headed up the mountain road to the cabin. The children chattered in excitement and watched the sides of the road and the trees. Many times before they had come up this road to see deer, hawks, eagles, and one time a family of red foxes.

Once at the cabin, Gibbs opened the door and windows to air out the place. He had the kids help carry everything inside. "Tali and Tori, master bedroom. Anthony, John, Charles and LJ, middle bedroom. Katie, Beth and Rivka, third bedroom. Go. Get your bags put up and then we will get some lunch."

While the children put their bags in rooms, Gibbs opened a loaf of bread, took some cheese and lunch meat out of the refrigerator and sliced some tomatoes. He put a pile of plates at one end of the counter and lined up the food for the kids to have a serving line. Cups and a jug of lemonade were set at the table, which Gibbs had expanded to seat twelve. "Come get lunch," he called out. The sound of nine pairs of feet headed to the kitchen made Gibbs smile. If anyone asked, he would tell all who would listen that he had the best grandkids in the world!

After the children had filled their plates, Gibbs made himself a sandwich. "Grandpa, sit next to me, please." LJ waved his grandfather over to the place next to him. Gibbs sat next to the little boy, who smiled happily as he ate his cheese and tomato sandwich.

When the group had finished the meal, Gibbs told them the chores teams: Tali, LJ and Katie were one team and they had clean up chores after lunch today. Tori, John and Rivka were a second team and they had dinner preparation chores tonight. Anthony, Charles and Beth made up the third team, and they had dinner clean up chores tonight. Tomorrow they would rotate. Gibbs showed them the chore chart that would be on the refrigerator for the week. He explained to them that each team was to decide who would do what part of the chores assigned and that he would only intervene if they could not reach agreement. Each child nodded agreement with the chore chart, and Tali's group did their clean up from lunch.

Gibbs took all of the children outside on the porch and reviewed the outside rules with them. Use the buddy system at all times. If they were going away from the house, they needed to let Gibbs know. To go fishing, they had to let Gibbs know and at least one of the oldest three had to be with the group going fishing. They could fish from the dock or from the banks of the pond, but to use the boats, Gibbs had to be with them. If Gibbs was cutting wood or splitting logs, they were to stay outside the area that he had marked with rocks to use for wood cutting and splitting. All animals, insects and plants were to be left as they were, unless Gibbs gave them permission otherwise. The exception was fish large enough to keep for eating.

He turned them loose and they ran off the porch. The three older boys decided that they wanted to look for insects and bugs. LJ didn't want to do that so he drifted over to the girls who were talking about looking for wild blackberries and wild strawberries. Tali asked Gibbs if they could pick berries, and he nodded assent. They each took a pail from the porch that was there for berry picking. LJ didn't want to pick berries either. He sat next to Gibbs on the porch and sighed.

"What's the matter, LJ?" Gibbs put his arm around the boy.

"I don't want to look for bugs or berries. Grandpa, what can I do?" LJ sighed again, and looked expectantly at his grandfather.

Gibbs looked down at LJ, seeing the chocolate brown eyes of his mother, and decided the little boy was old enough to learn some basic painting techniques. "Wait here, LJ, I'll be right back." Gibbs went inside and found the brushes, watercolor paints and paper. He pulled out two tabletop easels from the storage cabinet as well. He took it all to the porch and LJ watched, wide-eyed, as Gibbs got the easels set up. "We are going to paint with watercolors, LJ." Gibbs placed two cups of water next to the paints.

Gibbs explained and demonstrated some of the basics of using watercolors, how to take a dab of water, then some color, and apply it to the paper. Less water meant darker color. Then he showed LJ how to make a horizon line and use it as a marker for placing other objects in the picture. LJ watched, fascinated. "Is it my turn, Grandpa?" Gibbs nodded and LJ studied the views from the porch. He moved to another set of chairs and looked out again. Finally, he moved his easel and paints and concentrated.

Gibbs continued with his own painting, checking the boy periodically. LJ seemed to be really into his painting, concentration furrowing his little brow. Gibbs smiled to himself; maybe he had found his painting buddy!

The other boys came running back from their bug-hunting, excited about a snake skin they had found by the tree line. "Grandpa, we found a snake skin," John announced. "From a big snake," Charles added. "I'm hungry, Grandpa." Anthony piped in. "And I got some good pictures with my camera." Only Anthony, Gibbs thought; that boy had certainly inherited his father's appetite!

"Anthony is always hungry!" Beth stepped onto the porch with her bucket of berries. The other girls were right behind her, each carrying a nearly full bucket. "Look at all the berries we found, Grandpa." Katie held her bucket up for Gibbs to see. Rivka held hers up also.

Tali asked if they could make a snack from the berries, and Gibbs nodded assent. "Just be sure to rinse them well, Tals." Tori and Tali took the buckets of berries inside and found a colander to rinse them in. They dumped the rinsed berries into a large bowl and took it outside to the rest of the family. Only LJ was not at the table waiting for berries; he was still working on his painting. Gibbs walked over to LJ and was surprised. The boy had an eye for painting, and the picture he had painted of a misshapen tree near the edge of the cleared area was detailed and well done.

"That is a great picture, LJ." Gibbs put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Really, Grandpa?" Gibbs nodded and hugged LJ. "Let's go get some berries before Anthony eats them all, and you can show the picture to everyone after we are done with the snack." LJ skipped down the porch, joining his siblings and cousins in eating the fresh berries. Anthony moved to the side a bit so his brother could reach the berries.

"Anthony, will you come see my picture?" LJ asked his brother. When Anthony nodded, LJ grabbed his hand and led him down the porch.

"WOW!" Anthony's shout caused the others to turn towards the two boys. "LJ painted a picture and it is really, really good!" The other children ran down the porch, each offering praise to LJ for his work. The little boy puffed up his chest, "Thanks, everyone. I am going to paint more, just like Grandpa."

~GIBBS~

At breakfast the following morning, Gibbs asked the children who would like to go fishing. Tali and Tori said that they would rather cook the fish than catch it. "Okay, you two are in charge of dinner then."

"Do we have to touch the fish?" John wasn't too sure he wanted to touch a fish. He would rather read his Big Nate books.

"I want to paint, Grandpa." LJ piped up.

"I'll go," shouted Rivka, followed by Beth and Charles. Anthony and Katie shrugged their shoulders. They could take it or leave it. Katie said that she wanted to try making the para-cord bracelets from the kit she had brought and Anthony asked her if he could help.

"Ok, then. Tali and Tori are in charge here at the cabin. Rivka, Beth and Charles are with me." Gibbs motioned for the three fishers to follow him. "First we have to get life jackets and gear." He fitted each child with a life vest and then helped them choose fishing poles. He put the bait in the cooler, along with bottled water. Each child was slathered in sunblock and Gibbs made sure hats were on heads. "Let's go catch dinner."

Rivka and Charles quickly learned how to thread the bait on the hook so that it would not slide or fall off. Beth had a bit of difficulty, but Charles helped her get her hook baited. They cast the lines into the water and waited. Beth had the first bite. "Grandpa, what do I do now?" She could hardly contain her excitement and nearly dropped her rod. Gibbs showed her how to set the hook and reel the fish in. As the fish appeared in the water in front of them, the children all watched as Gibbs used the net to bring it into the boat.

He showed the children how to take the fish off the hook. Beth put her hands on the fish as he helped her remove the hook. "It's a keeper. Put it in the cooler." Beth put the fish in the cooler as Charles rebaited her hook. "Keep fishing, need to catch at least ten to twelve more for dinner for all of us." Gibbs' line jerked as he spoke.

In three hours, they had caught fifteen fish, and they decided that was enough fishing for today. They brought the cooler of fish up to the house. Tali and Tori had been reading through Gibbs' cookbooks and had decided to make baked fish with herbs, rice, and a salad for dinner. They looked up from their reading to ask how many fish were caught. "Fifteen and I caught the first one." Beth told her sister and cousin. "And Beth and I caught the most," added Charles.

Gibbs showed Beth and Charles how to clean and scale the fish, and then how to filet them. He taught them knife safety at the same time. Both picked up the skill quickly and in no time, the three had the fish ready to cook. Rivka had watched, but then decided the fish guts were just too messy for her. Gibbs ruffled her hair and told her she could help put away the gear, which she did happily. Anything to get away from the fish guts, she thought.

Tali and Tori made a marinade for the fish filets and put them in the fridge until dinner time. They helped Gibbs get the sandwich fixings out for lunch. Tori went to call the others. Anthony and Katie were on the side porch, and had made para-cord bracelets for each of them, they only needed to figure out how long to make the one for Grandpa. Beth and Charles were finishing cleaning up from cleaning the fish. Rivka and John were watching a pair of crows in the field. LJ was painting in a corner of the porch.

~GIBBS~

Everyone agreed the fish dinner was excellent, and complimented Tali and Tori on a great meal. They had ice cream cones for dessert. As Gibbs scooped out the cones, he handed one to each child. The children went out on the porch to eat the cones. Tori was the last one in line. As she watched Grandpa Gibbs scoop her ice cream, she asked him a question that had been on her mind since the end of the school year.

"Grandpa, is working with dead people weird?" Some of Tori's friends had teased her about her Dad being a medical examiner and her Mom running a funeral home. She had been upset, but did not know how to ask her parents.

"What your Mom and Dad do for a living is not weird at all, Tori. People have prepared their dead for the grave for ages. Your Mom's business helps them do that and also provides comfort to the family at a sad time. Your Dad's job helps Uncle Tim's team solve crimes. Granducky also helped my team for a long time with your Dad's help. Why do you ask?" Gibbs pulled his granddaughter into a hug.

Tori shrugged, "Some girls I thought were my friends teased me about it on the last day of school. It made me angry."

Gibbs brushed a kiss on Tori's head, "Maybe they just don't understand how important your parents jobs are, Tori. You don't have to explain or defend your parents' job choices to your friends, but if they ask again, tell them what I just told you."

Tori hugged her Grandpa, and took her ice cream cone from him. "Thank you, Grandpa. I love you." Gibbs smiled to himself as he scooped out his own ice cream. His kids had given him a bunch of wonderful grandkids!


	2. Monday and Tuesday

Chapter 2: Monday and Tuesday

On Monday morning, Anthony and LJ were the first up. Gibbs thought it ironic that Tony and Ziva's sons had inherited her early riser tendencies. The boys each grabbed some juice from the refrigerator and one of the chocolate chip muffins that Tali had baked the night before and went out on the porch. LJ took out his painting equipment and set up his easel for the day. Anthony went back inside and grabbed his camera.

As LJ started his painting, Anthony sat ready with his camera. "LJ, do you mind if I take some pictures while you paint?" The little boy shook his head no, so Anthony set up his tripod and prepared the camera set up. LJ looked around the porch and the yard for his next subject. Anthony snapped several candid shots of his brother. LJ took up his paints and brush and Anthony clicked the shutter multiple times. As LJ worked Anthony randomly clicked for candid shots. In between taking pictures of his brother, he pointed the lens out into the yard to take pictures of what LJ was painting. He also took pictures of the rail and ceiling of the porch for the texture and lines.

The other children started waking up and each one came out into the kitchen for juice and a muffin. Gibbs sat at the table reading a book. Tali and Tori took their breakfast to the side porch and began planning some more meals for the family. Charles and Beth stumbled out next, both stretching and yawning. Each took a muffin and juice and a book to the back porch. John woke up next and after getting his muffin and juice, took a book out to the back porch. Rivka found her sketch pad and took it with her breakfast and sat near John. Katie was the last one awake. As she yawned, she noticed that the others were all outside already. She got her juice and muffin and took her para-cord crafts out to the front porch. She watched Anthony taking pictures and LJ painting. Anthony turned when he noticed her come out and grinned at her. (His father's grin for sure, Gibbs thought.) He turned the camera towards her as she began making a bracelet.

Gibbs noted how the children from the three families usually paired up: Tali and Tori were close friends, Anthony and Katie would often be together, and John and Rivka, and Charles and Beth would often be together in a group. No wonder LJ had been on his own more often than not. Of all of them, LJ was the most like Gibbs.

~GIBBS~

Tuesday morning started with a bang, literally. A thunderstorm woke up those who were not already awake and when lightning struck the pond, the thunder shook the house. Gibbs even startled at the loud noise of the thunder. LJ moved closer to his Grandpa. Anthony tried to put on a brave front, but the thunder had scared him as well and he also moved closer to Gibbs. The other children came out of the bedrooms, wondering what had happened to wake them up so suddenly. They all gathered around the table, not wanting to be away from the others.

Gibbs figured that the best way to distract the children from the thunderstorm was to get them busy. He had Anthony and Katie break the eggs for pancakes, while Charles and Beth were tasked with measuring the dry mix. John and Rivka were measuring the milk and Tali and Tori were heating the griddle. LJ helped Gibbs with the mixing. Gibbs put the little boy in charge of handing the plates with pancakes to the others. Tori took out glasses for each of them and Tali filled each glass with orange juice. Anthony found the maple syrup and John put the butter on the table, Katie, Beth and Rivka set out forks and knives for everybody and Charles put a napkin at each place. John put slices of bacon on each plate with the pancakes. Gibbs marveled at how each child had stepped in to make the process go smoothly. His grandkids worked as a team as well as their parents had!

After breakfast and clean up, the weather had not improved much. Gibbs turned the weather radio on to get the forecast. All of them groaned when the announcer said that it would most likely rain all day.

Gibbs took a large box off an upper shelf in the kitchen and called all the children out to the porch. He took a pocket knife out of the box and showed the children how to open and close the knife safely. He then demonstrated the correct way to cut with the knife. He handed each child one of the pocket knives from the box. One by one they practiced safely opening and closing the knives. Tali, Tori, Anthony, John and Katie had been through the drill before. Gibbs had them each show the younger children what they had practiced. Tali and John worked with Rivka and Charles, Tori and Anthony worked with Beth and Katie and Gibbs practiced with LJ. Within an hour all of the children had demonstrated proficiency with handling the knives. Gibbs told them about Rule 9 and explained how each of their parents had used a knife to save a life. The children were fascinated with the stories, as they always liked hearing about their parents and Gibbs from their NCIS days.

After lunch, Katie found a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle that she, Anthony, John and Rivka worked on for the rest of the afternoon. LJ went back to his painting. Charles, Beth, Tali and Tori all curled up on the back porch with books.

Gibbs made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and Tali made garlic bread, while Tori made a salad. After dinner, they all sat outside on the porch. LJ sat on Gibbs lap as the others gathered around. Gibbs told them more stories from NCIS and when Tony, Ziva, and Tim were on his team. He told them about how the team began the traditions of having Thanksgiving dinner at Ducky's house and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" in MTAC. LJ, who was too young to remember Ducky asked Gibbs why he was called that name. So Gibbs told the story of the nickname.


	3. Wednesday and Thursday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos!

Chapter 3: Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday morning the sun was shining again. As usual, Anthony and LJ were the first to awaken. LJ had taken his paints outside and decided to paint the sunrise. Anthony was taking pictures of the sunrise with his camera. Gibbs laughed to himself at how these two rose with the sun, definitely something they had inherited from their Ima.

The other children woke up within the next half hour, so Gibbs set out breakfast cereals and milk for them all. Each child took his or her breakfast to the table. When all of them were seated, Gibbs said that today they would be going to ZooAmerica in Hershey. They would be leaving at 0830, which gave the children about forty-five minutes to get ready. By 0825, all nine were buckled into seats in the van and ready to go, with backpacks and hats. Gibbs handed each child a compact digital camera, telling them that the cameras were theirs to keep. Anthony also brought his own camera.

After the two hour ride, they were all ready to get out and visit the animals. As they got out of the van, Gibbs reminded them of the buddy system. "Pair up." Anthony grabbed Katie's hand, Charles took Beth's hand, Rivka extended her hand to John and Tori and Tali stood together. LJ slid his hand into Gibbs' hand and smiled. He always liked to be Grandpa's buddy. At the ticket gate, they each got a map of the zoo.

The first habitat they came to was the Southern Swamps. There were a variety of snakes, alligators, a barred owl family, and gopher tortoises. Gibbs told the children how to tell a poisonous snake from a nonpoisonous one, by looking at the shape of the head and the shape of the pupil in the eye. Several of them took pictures of the alligators, owls and tortoises, but only Tali took pictures of the snakes.

The next habitat was the Great Southwest. Again, there were snakes and other reptiles. LJ was fascinated by the spotted skunks. He took several pictures of the animals. Katie, Rivka and Tori took pictures of the ocelots, and Anthony watched the tarantulas, and took pictures. All of the children took pictures of the various owls and birds. John liked the black-footed ferrets.

At the Eastern Woodlands habitat, they recognized several of the animals from having seen them at the cabin and around their area. Beth liked the river otters and watched them play in the water. They followed her as she walked around their pool, watching her as she watched them. Charles decided his favorite was the black bears, and snapped many pictures of them. Tali and Tori liked the bobcats, and Anthony declared his favorite to be the white tailed deer.

In the Big Sky Country habitat, the children were all amazed at the size of the buffalos and elk. The mountain lions watched the family lazily as they all took pictures. LJ laughed at the prairie dogs as they poked their heads out of their holes and then scurried to another one.

The last habitat was the North Lands. Every one of the children loved the bald eagles and took several pictures from different angles. The gray wolves were another favorite of all of them. As they were moving from the North Lands habitat, a woman who had been at most of the habitats when they were complimented Gibbs on how well behaved the children were. He thanked her, and had each of the children also thank her. "When children know what is expected of them and are praised for doing what is right, they learn to live up to the expectations. These nine have good parents, who also learned the lessons of having rules and consequences to help them meet and exceed expectations." Gibbs was proud of his grandchildren. It was not the first time they had been complimented.

After visiting all of the habitats, Gibbs asked who was hungry. Anthony was the first one to speak up to the affirmative. "Anthony is always hungry," Rivka teased her brother. The others also wanted lunch so they went out to the van.

After a pizza lunch, the children voted to go to Hershey's Chocolate World. The free ride showing how the chocolate is made interested all of them, and when it ended, they were at an escalator that took them through chocolate-scented air into the Hershey store. Charles pointed out the five pound candy bar and all the children took a picture. They spotted the ice cream in the food court and LJ just about dragged Gibbs over. Each one had an ice cream sundae with assorted toppings.

After the ice cream, they loaded into the van to head back to the cabin. As they rode, the children compared pictures. Each one had taken nearly one hundred pictures, and no two were alike. As they headed back into Maryland, LJ asked if they were going to eat dinner before they got back to the cabin. Gibbs reminded him that hotdogs and hamburgers waited for them at home.

Back at the cabin, Gibbs fired up the outdoor grill and cooked the burgers and dogs. All of the children were tired, but they had fun and remembered to thank Gibbs for the day trip. LJ fell asleep in Grandpa Gibbs' lap as they all sat on the porch to listen to more stories about their parents, Gibbs and Ducky.

~GIBBS~

Thursday started out sunny and warm and turned windy around mid-morning. Gibbs took out the kites he had stored in the shed and handed one to each of the kids. LJ was the first to get his in the air, and he grinned at the others. Soon, Tali, Tori, Rivka and Beth had their kites flying. Anthony crashed his kite twice, but got it in the air with help from Gibbs. Katie took Anthony's kite and then he got hers in the air without much effort. Charles took his kite a bit away from the others, because he did not want to crash it into theirs. He got it flying soon after. Only John was having problems; he would get the kite started, but it would come crashing down. He analyzed the wind direction and speed and the way the kite was constructed. He tested the tail and the string. Gibbs watched in amusement. John reminded him so much of Tim, analyzing everything and hesitating until he had figured it out.

Dinner on Thursday was cowboy steaks, which Gibbs cooked over an open flame in the fire pit. Tali and Tori made baked potatoes and corn on the cob to go with the steaks. Anthony told Gibbs that this was his favorite meal so far for the week. Gibbs told the children about how he would cook the steaks in his fireplace at his house and Tony and Tim would have dinner with him from time to time.

After dinner, and clean up, Gibbs brought out the two telescopes. He explained to the curious children how to use them. As the sky darkened, they could see stars and planets and parts of the Milky Way. Charles helped identify many of the constellations. He had a telescope at home and spent a lot of time looking at the stars. He showed the others how to find Polaris, Cassiopeia, Orion, Ursa major and minor and Cygnus. Gibbs was impressed with the boy's knowledge of the stars and constellations and complimented him, "Thank you, Charles for sharing with your cousins."


	4. Friday and Saturday

Chapter 4: Friday and Saturday

Early Friday morning, 0430 to be exact, all of them were awakened by a loud crash of thunder. LJ was in Gibbs arms before the others even got out of their rooms. Gibbs reassured the little boy, stroking his back as he cuddled into Gibbs' shoulder. The other kids came out of their rooms looking worried. The lightning was flashing constantly and the thunder a constant rumble. The house shook with almost every roll of thunder. A brilliant flash made even Gibbs sit up and take notice. A loud CRACK and boom shook the house and the power went out. "That was close," Gibbs got up with LJ still in his arms. "Help me find the flashlights and candles, please." The children each had a flashlight in their gear, and they went in groups to their rooms to retrieve them.

Gibbs found several pillar candles and lit them and put them on the kitchen counters. LJ was still clinging to Gibbs. The other children came back out of their rooms with flashlights in hand. Anthony had brought LJ's flashlight as well, and handed it to his brother. "Thanks." LJ said in a quiet voice. Gibbs had all the children sit around the table.

The lightning was still flashing constantly. Anthony was not really afraid, but he did not like being awakened abruptly (something else he inherited from his Ima, Gibbs thought.) He had his camera in one hand and his flashlight in the other. He had moved over by the living room window and was watching the storm. "Grandpa, there's a tree on fire out there." Anthony pointed towards the pond. All of the children came over to look. "May I go out on the porch and take a picture, please? Anthony's natural curiosity wanted to see more and record the event.

"Okay, but come right back in when you are finished." Gibbs nodded to Anthony. The boy opened the front door and walked out on the porch, raising his camera to get the picture. As he was doing so, a bolt of lightning hit the ground about 30 feet from the cabin. Anthony jumped, startled and ran back in the house. The others looked at him and started laughing. His hair was standing straight up!

Gibbs hugged the boy and told him that he was okay, the static electricity from the lightning had made his hair stand on end. Tali grabbed Anthony's camera and snapped a picture of him.

The storm moved on, and daylight began to emerge. The tree that had been on fire was now on the ground. Gibbs had also gone out after the worst of the storm passed to start the generator and restore power to the cabin until the regular lines could be repaired. He was mostly concerned about the freezer and refrigerator. Since they were all awake, he had Tali and Tori take the breakfast cereals out of the cabinet, and get some milk from the refrigerator, so that they could have breakfast. LJ still stayed near Gibbs.

~GIBBS~

The crew from the power company came around mid-morning and restored service to the house. One of the workers told Gibbs and the children that a small tornado had done some damage in the little town where they had done the grocery shopping. The day was still overcast, but the rain had stopped.

LJ got out his paints and decided to paint the burnt tree and the one that had been next to it that had exploded. Tali, Tori, Charles, John, Beth and Rivka brought books out on the porch and settled in to read. Katie and Anthony worked on another jigsaw puzzle, while Gibbs checked around the property for any additional damage from the storm.

~GIBBS~

The rest of the day was uneventful and quiet. Gibbs, Tali and Tori made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables for dinner. After dinner, the children played outside until nearly dark. They came running when Gibbs called them to make their own ice cream sundaes. As they were eating the ice cream, Gibbs reminded them that they had one more day at the cabin before it would be time to go home. Beth sighed, "Grandpa, why can't we stay more days? Please?" The others joined in, "Yeah, more days, please?"

"Tori and Charles, remember you have your family vacation to Florida next week with your parents." Jimmy and Breena both had scheduled a two week vacation to spend time with the children. They planned to visit her sister on the way to Florida to see the sights around Orlando. Disney World and other attractions beckoned. Charles and Tori talked excitedly about the things they would be visiting.

"John and Katie, remember that you two have the trip to New York over the next two weeks with your Mom and Dad." Delilah had found several activities for the family in and around New York City that all of them would enjoy. John was excited to visit the museums in New York, including the Museum of Mathematics and the Sony Hands on Technology Museum. Katie was looking forward to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and seeing a Broadway show.

"DiNozzos, remember that your Ima and Abba will be back from Israel on Monday." Tony and Ziva had taken two weeks off to spend some time by themselves, and check on the properties in Israel. Gibbs had stayed with the children at their house for the first week.

~GIBBS~

Saturday morning was bright and sunny with a light breeze. Beth, Rivka, John, Katie, Anthony and Charles got the kites out of the shed. LJ set up his easel on the porch. Tali and Tori planned a special dinner for their last night. Gibbs sat in a rocking chair on the porch and watched his grandchildren play. He reflected on each of them. Tali, with her mother's complexion, hair and stealth, her father's eyes and smile, was often the caretaker of the others, her loyalty and caring as strong as her parents'. His oldest, the girl who had opened the floodgates of his heart to love again, would always have a special place in his heart.

Anthony, so much like his father, but with his mother's chocolate brown eyes, had an appreciation for nature and beauty. He, too, had his parents' loyalty and empathy for others. The twins, Beth and Rivka, were so alike, yet so different. Rivka the bolder and more outgoing of the two, Beth the shyer one and usually the hesitant one, two halves of a whole, much like their parents. LJ, the little boy who had his Grandpa Gibbs wrapped around his pinky finger, so full of life and a budding artist. Ziver and Tony had made some beautiful kids and had every right to be proud of them.

John, his father's son to a tee, the mini-me McGee, who loved all things computer related, and Katie, a free spirit in every sense of the word, who could make even the grouchiest curmudgeon smile. Tim and Delilah had two treasures in their twins. The Palmer children: Tori, who had her mother's looks and her father's sense of humor, and Charles, always the serious one, who loved astronomy. He wouldn't trade a one of them.

~GIBBS~

Tali and Tori planned a dinner of favorites: steaks, chicken and hot dogs on the grill, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, a salad, and a berry cobbler for dessert. They had sent the younger girls out to pick berries one last time, and had more than enough to make large cobbler. LJ also reminded them to have ice cream with the cobbler.

After dinner, they all sat on the porch, with Grandpa telling more stories about the NCIS days.


	5. Going Home

Chapter 5: Going Home

A/N Thanks to all who reviewed, followed and or favorited. Look for other parallel stories to "You Complete Me"

Sunday morning was another sunny and warm day. The children ate their breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns on the porch. They talked about all of the things they had done the past week. Gibbs listened as they talked. Each child had some favorite activities. Tali and Tori liked being able to cook and help with the meals. Anthony said that his favorite thing was the cowboy steaks. Charles and Beth picked fishing with Grandpa as their favorite. John, Rivka and Katie liked the trip to ZooAmerica as their favorite. LJ declared that learning to paint with Grandpa was his most favorite. "But," LJ added, "being with Grandpa and all my cousins and sisters and brother was the best of all!"

Gibbs smiled. LJ was certainly correct; having all the kids together for the week had been the best. He had gotten to know them even better and found out more of each one's personality, likes and interests. Plus, he had found a painting buddy.

"Time to pack up." Gibbs stepped out on the porch to groans from all of the kids. "We leave at 1000, so get your things packed and in the van, please." The children took their breakfast dishes inside and went to their respective rooms to get packed for the trip home.

~GIBBS~

The ride home was quiet. Gibbs wasn't sure if the kids were tired, or sad or both. When they arrived at his house, Tim and Delilah were already in the driveway. Gibbs had just gotten the van parked and opened doors when Jimmy and Breena pulled in as well.

The McGee twins got their bags moved into Tim's car and hugged Gibbs. "Thanks, Grandpa. We had fun and we want to do this again." Katie spoke for herself and her brother. "Mom and Dad, we had lots of fun, and Grandpa gave us each a camera and we got to take pictures and…"

"Slow down, princess," Tim put a hand on Katie's shoulder. "Say goodbye to your cousins and then you can tell us all about the trip." Katie skipped over to Anthony and gave him a hug. The adults laughed at the look on the boy's face at the unexpected hug. John said his goodbyes to the rest of them as a group.

The Palmer children got their gear in Breena's car. The two walked over to Gibbs and Tori gave him a hug. "Thanks for letting me cook, Grandpa. It was fun." Charles shook hands with Gibbs and said his thanks. The two waved to their cousins, "See you when we get back from Florida."

"DiNozzos, in the van!" Gibbs called to the last five. "Time to head to your house."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch for more parallel stories to "You Complete Me" coming soon. Thanks to all who left kudos.


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